Flood insurance in Ohio: cost by ZIP code and county
Ohio has 16,690 single-family flood policies in the federal program; their median bill was $917 on July 31, 2026.
Median single-family flood bill, Ohio
$917
16,690 policies in force on July 31, 2026, premium and fees included.
| Median full-risk price, same policies | $968 |
| Policies still below their full-risk price | 34 % |
| Median paid in August 2023 | $787 |
| Increase left from the median | 1 renewal at 18 % |
| Next five bills, added up | $4,840 |
| Median claim paid, 2016 to 2025 (1,545 claims) | $9,063 |
Compiled by Radif Partners · Where the numbers come from · 511 ZIP codes and 87 counties of Ohio in FEMA's tables · not a quote
The median single-family flood bill in Ohio was $917 a year on July 31, 2026, counting the premium, the Reserve Fund Assessment, the HFIAA surcharge and the Federal Policy Fee. It is a small market for a large state: 16,690 policies, about 0.6 % of the national total. Prices are moderate and fairly settled. The median full-risk bill is $968, and 34 % of Ohio policies still pay below it. A policy rated in an A zone had a median bill of $1,018; one rated X, B or C cost $725. In FEMA's 2023 table, 52 % of Ohio's single-family policies had a full-risk cost under $1,000 a year. Paid claims here are rarely large: the median paid claim from 2016 to 2025 was $9,063, a fraction of the national $42,494.
Few policies, many rivers
Ohio drains two ways. USGS files the Maumee and the Cuyahoga in the Great Lakes basin, which runs to Lake Erie, while most of the state's gauged streams belong to the Ohio River basin to the south. Yet coverage is thin. Franklin County, around Columbus, leads the state with only 1,083 single-family policies.
Most of those homes pay close to their modelled price. Franklin's median bill was $960 against a full-risk median of $989; Cuyahoga County, which takes in Cleveland, showed $721 against $734. Butler County, between Cincinnati and Dayton, is the main exception among the larger counties, with 39 % of policies still capped.
Where an Ohio full-risk quote falls among 2023 policies
Single-family homes in Ohio with a lower full-risk price
52 %
| Full-risk price under $1,000 | 52 % |
| State median full-risk price, 2023 rates | $970 |
| Price entered | $1,000 |
Outside the mapped floodplain
In Ohio, 5,315 policies, 32 % of the total, cover homes rated X, B or C, where no lender requires flood coverage. Those owners paid a median $725, with a full-risk median of $742, so their bills have nearly finished rising. Over the claim years, 542 paid claims came from those zones, at a median of $8,216, not far below the $9,529 paid in A zones.
The Lake Erie shore
FEMA counted 8 % of Ohio's single-family policies as exposed to Great Lakes flooding. Ottawa County, east of Lucas County, where the USGS measures Lake Erie near Port Clinton, is where that shows most: 532 policies at a median bill of $1,125, the highest of the eight counties with the most policies. Lucas County, which includes Toledo, paid less, $792 at the median.
Claims: steady and small
Ohio paid 1,545 single-family claims for losses from 2016 to 2025. Hamilton County, on the Ohio River at Cincinnati, had the most, 162. No single storm dominates: the largest event in the file, Central U.S. April Flooding of 2025, paid 73 claims, and the losses of 2025 are still being settled. Ohio's median claim is 21 % of the national median claim, so the typical paid loss per house is smaller here than in the country as a whole.
A small claim still exceeds several years of premium. The average claim guide compares claims and bills state by state.
The Ohio counties with the most policies
| County | Policies | Median bill | Full-risk median | Still below full risk | Renewals left at 18 % | Median bill, August 2023 | Median claim 2016-2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Franklin County | 1,083 | $960 | $989 | 26 % | 1 | $804 | $8,121 |
| Lucas County | 873 | $792 | $810 | 30 % | 1 | $751 | $4,612 |
| Montgomery County | 856 | $786 | $794 | 20 % | 1 | $718 | $7,722 |
| Hamilton County | 826 | $961 | $1,026 | 30 % | 1 | $837 | $8,736 |
| Cuyahoga County | 807 | $721 | $734 | 33 % | 1 | $662 | $10,611 |
| Butler County | 599 | $1,119 | $1,288 | 39 % | 1 | $863 | $6,320 |
| Ottawa County | 532 | $1,125 | $1,231 | 37 % | 1 | $923 | $9,649 |
| Summit County | 672 | $696 | $707 | 23 % | 1 | $675 | $10,413 |
Full-risk prices of Ohio homes, band by band
| Full risk-based price a year | Policies | Share | Median rebuild value |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0 to $1,000 | 9,578 | 51.6 % | $350,788 |
| $1,000 to $2,000 | 5,664 | 30.5 % | $327,255 |
| $2,000 to $3,000 | 1,821 | 9.8 % | $333,549 |
| $3,000 to $4,000 | 768 | 4.1 % | $363,967 |
| $4,000 to $5,000 | 349 | 1.9 % | $423,962 |
| $5,000 or more | 394 | 2.1 % |
The floods that paid the most Ohio claims since 2016
| Event (FEMA name) | Year | Paid claims | Paid in total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Central U.S. April Flooding | 2025 | 73 | $2,126,657 |
| Hurricane Ida | 2021 | 2 | $16,895 |
| Tropical Storm Fred | 2021 | 2 | $14,961 |